SINGAPORE: After a month-long series of appeals and complaints from concerned residents, the Housing and Development Board (HDB), Marine Parade Town Council, and animal welfare groups have successfully persuaded a resident to move his seven pet cats indoors. The cats were initially kept in iron cages in the common corridor of Block 103, Aljunied Crescent, raising issues of intolerable smells, potential abuse, and unsanitary living conditions.
The matter was brought to light by a vigilant cat rescuer who reported the situation to the authorities. On Nov 22, the Marine Parade Town Council assured a concerned resident that they, along with the HDB and Cat Welfare Association, would engage with the cat keeper to improve the cats’ living conditions and maintain corridor cleanliness.
However, when a reporter from Lianhe Zaobao visited the area on Dec 4, the cats’ conditions had not significantly improved. In a 1-meter-long and 1.4-meter-high cage, the seven cats were confined on a three-layer wire mesh, with soaked litter and food due to earlier rainfall.
The 65-year-old cat owner, a cleaner, explained to Lianhe Zaobao that he kept the cats in cages because he was not at home during the day, expressing concern about the cats causing accidents. He asserted that he diligently cleaned the cages twice daily, provided food, water, and cat litter, and cleaned the corridor daily.
A retired neighbour revealed that the cat keeper had kept cats for years, previously allowing them to roam freely. This led to issues such as urination in the corridor and defecation at neighbours’ gates.
The cat keeper emphasized that he spends over $200 monthly treating the cats like his children. He has since cooperated with authorities to find adopters for some cats and moved the remaining ones indoors.
A National Parks Board (NParks) representative said the authority conducted a site visit and found that the cats were generally healthy and all neutered.
Meanwhile, the Singapore Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) criticized the outdoor confinement, deeming it unacceptable and harmful to the cats’ health.
Following interventions, SPCA took two cats to find adopters and reported a positive change during a subsequent visit on Dec 8. The remaining five cats were observed moving freely indoors, indicating an improvement in their living conditions compared to how they were kept before.